“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Do you ever find yourself thinking about living in the past? I mean, the way past? Maybe 100 years ago when the first cars were rolling into the streets, or perhaps 250 years ago when our country was about to be born. Maybe it’s the Renaissance period that you dream about, or even to think about walking the earth following Jesus’ exact footsteps, right behind Him!
Well, we were born to live in this particular time and in this particular place. At some point in the future, others may be thinking about what it may have been like to live today, in 2017. They may think about how amazing it would have been to live in the booming tech era (which I’m guessing they will chuckle at). Or, maybe they will be amazed at the love and growth of our Catholic faith amidst the evil that seems to lurk in our world today. I think our church is poised for an amazing come back and I am excited to be part of that revolution.
When I read the gospel for today, I wondered if it would have mattered what era or generation I lived in, in terms of my personal faith that is. No matter when a person lives I imagine that it is hard to have the wisdom, courage and perseverance to take up Christ’s cross and follow Him. The obstacles to faith are there in every era. Our weaknesses are staring at us, and they seem rather pleased to wield their power over us. Jesus gives us the remedy though, he simply tells us to, “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.”
My response is,” But Lord, I am too weak to do this on my own.”
He says, “Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come follow me.”
God has given us the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which dwells in us. We simply need to nurture those gifts, just as the saints who lived before us did. Our church and our faith are here for us. Let’s journey together with Jesus and our crosses. For when we truly travel with Him, the yoke is easy and the burden is light.
I invite all St. Joseph parish families and parishioners to attend a special Mass of the Holy Spirit this Wednesday, September 5 th at 8:15 a.m. in the church. The Mass is intended to inspire all of us to live a life of faith. I can’t think of a better way to share community and to share our faith then with this special celebration.
All are welcome! ~ Wear Red.
